This relates generally to printed circuits and, more particularly, to structures used within electronic devices for guiding and protecting printed circuits such as flexible printed circuits.
Electronic devices such as computers, cellular telephones, and other electronic devices often include printed circuits. Electrical components such as integrated circuits and other electronic devices can be interconnected using signal traces on printed circuits. Rigid printed circuit boards are planar. Flexible printed circuits can be bent and can serve as signal cables for interconnecting components in different portions of a device.
Challenges arise when routing flexible printed circuits within an electronic device. If a flexible printed circuit is bent too abruptly, the signal traces on the flexible printed circuit can become damaged. Flexible printed circuits may also be susceptible to damage from contact with sharp structures such as the exposed edges of rigid printed circuit boards. Service loops may need to be included in flexible printed circuits to facilitate device assembly and disassembly. If care is not taken, electronic devices with flexible printed circuits may be unreliable and difficult to manufacture.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved structures for controlling the bending and routing of flexible printed circuits in electronic devices.